Fire Departments

Fire Departments

Written by Mark Collins Friday, 20 June 2008

Upgrades, staff added to keep pace with growth

As more homes are built throughout Williamson County, local fire departments work to ensure those homes remain standing.

“More homes means more people, more businesses. But whatever problem Mrs. Smith has, we have got to be there and we have to be able to help,” Cedar Park Fire Chief Chris Connealy said. “Our passion is to be the best fire department in America.”

Call volume to the Cedar Park Fire Department went up 11 percent in 2007, and the Leander Fire Department has seen a 26 percent increase in calls in 2008. Both departments have upgraded staffing and facilities to keep up with the growth.

“We still have not met some of the needs of growth. It is tough to keep up,” Leander Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Bill Gardner said. “Our taxpayers are our customers, and we have a commitment to providing the best service to our customers.”

New fire station

The Cedar Park Fire Department recently celebrated the opening of a new facility.

Fire station number four will house 15 additional firefighters, a new fire truck and equipment. Located in the Ranch at Brushy Creek subdivision near the intersection of Parmer Lane and RM 1431, the station provides much needed service to the area and fits into the fire department’s fire station master plan.

“The city has to be commended for good planning and we just have to continue on that,” Connealy said. “We know how far the city can grow, and we have to be smart about our growth. You want to build no more, and no less fire stations than you need.”

The master plan calls for a fifth fire station in the area of the New Hope Drive and Toll 183A intersection. Voters approved funding in the November 2007 bond election to acquire land for the new station.

Money from the same bond election will also be used to rebuild station one. The station was originally built by volunteer firefighters in 1972 and expanded in 1992. Since then, CPFD has become a full-time department that operates 24 hours a day each day of the year and requires living quarters and other conveniences to be a fully operating station.

Since the central location of fire station one on Old Highway 183 is ideal, the existing structure will be torn down and then rebuilt. The crew from station one will move to station two for the duration of the construction process, which should not take more than a year.

In 2006, CPFD was named the Texas EMS First Responder of the Year by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

“Our fire department is recognized throughout the county and throughout the region that when Cedar Park shows up, you’re going to get well-trained firefighters,” Connealy said.

CPFD’s reputation has helped it garner automatic aid agreements with nearly all of the surrounding communities. An automatic aid agreement states that a neighboring department will automatically respond to nearby calls. A mutual aid agreement states that a neighboring department will respond to calls for assistance.

“There are no Super Bowls amongst fire departments to determine who won, so we look at awards as affirmation that we’re on the right track,” Conneally said. “You can brag on yourself all day long, but I want to be able to walk the talk.”

Leander Fire Department

The Leander Fire Department will grow by 33 percent this year, thanks to a federal grant worth nearly $1 million that will allow the department to hire nine new firefighters. The grant will cover the salaries for the next five years.

“We would not have gotten those additions without the grant money,” Gardner said.

The fire department has 20 paid firefighters and 47 volunteers and has already seen a 26 percent increase in calls in 2008. With a budget of only $1.5 million, the fire department is able to meet the rising demand for service by making cost-efficient decisions.

Gardner completed a study in which he found the fire department’s cost per call was approximately $512, while similar-sized communities in Texas had an average cost per call of more than $1,200.

The most effective method of cutting costs has been the volunteer program. With 47 volunteers, LFD has an unusually high number of volunteers. Additionally, nearly 65 percent are eligible to be commissioned as full-time firefighters. The additional help allows LFD to meet the National Fire Protection Agency’s recommended standard of four firefighters per truck.

“Without our volunteer crew around, we would not be able to have adequate staffing,” Gardner said. “We meet those recommended numbers, but we don’t have to pay for each and every one of those people to be on the truck, which in turn saves our taxpayers some money.”

Another strategy employed by the fire department is cost recovery billing. Basic services are covered by taxpayer money; however, if an event requires the fire department to go above and beyond the normal call of duty, then that person will receive a bill for the services rendered.

The recovered money goes into a fund that is used to pay for firefighter education programs. Last year, cost recovery billing helped pay for the fire department’s swift water rescue training.

LFD was also able to cut costs on fire station number three, which will be located on the northeast corner of Sonny Drive and US 183. The modular fire station, expected to be operational within a year, is constructed from concrete and stone to make it more cost efficient and fire resistant.

“Our taxpayers are our customers, so we do some things like that to help offset the cost,” Gardner said. “But we need people’s help. That little line on the water bill that says you can give $2 — we use that to pay for education programs like the Friday lunch program where our firemen eat lunch with elementary kids every Friday. That’s a pretty cheap $2 investment.”

Leander

Fire Station One

• Address: 220 S. Old Highway 183
• Year built: 1972
• Firefighters: Six per shift
• Equipment: Quint, heavy rescue truck, tanker, backup engine
• Additional: Houses the technical rescue team

Fire Station Two

• Address: 1570 Cypress Creek Road
• Year built: 1998
• Firefighters: Five per shift
• Equipment: Quint, brush truck
• Additional: Training operations headquarters, safety house location

Fire Station Three

• Address: 1311 Highland Drive
• Year built: 1996
• Firefighters: Four per shift
• Equipment: Engine, brush truck, watercraft for rescue use
• Additional: Houses swift water rescue team

Fire Station Four

• Address: 150 Church Park Drive
• Year built: 2008
• Firefighters: Four per shift
• Equipment: Engine, brush truck, light rescue trailer
• Additional: Newest station in Cedar Park opened in early May

Fire Station Five

• Address: Toll 183A and New Hope Drive (TBD)
• Year built: No timeline set
• Additional: In the November 2007 bond election, voters approved funds to purchase land for the new fire station.

Fire Station One

• Address: 201 N. Brushy St.
• Year built: 2002
• Firefighters: Four per shift
• Equipment: Two quints, brush truck, tanker
• Additional: Includes training room and administrative offices

Fire Station Two

• Address: 1950 Crystal Falls Parkway
• Year built: 2007
• Firefighters: Four per shift
• Equipment: Two quints, brush truck
• Additional: Maintains equipment better suited to cover long distances

Fire Station Three

• Address: NE Corner US 183 and Sonny Drive
• Year built: Expected completion summer 2009
• Additional: Modular construction, design is 94% complete, will house training facilities

Fire Station 34

• Address: 10041 Lakecreek Parkway
• Year built: 1998
• Firefighters: Unavailable
• Equipment: Firetruck
• Additional: The Austin Fire Department has said that it plans to build a new fire station in the Avery Ranch subdivision